K Fresh: Hatching a plan

As part of a modernization program, K Fresh Ltd decided to renew its coder fleet to enhance environmental performance and operational efficiency. The goal was reached with the complete solution proposed by Markem-Imaje.

On the East coast of England, at Rimswell, Yorkshire, K Fresh Ltd has been working with both local egg producers and also producing its own eggs for more than 40 years. K Fresh supplies the region's independent stores with free-range and value eggs and is proud that its products carry the British Lion Mark, the UK's leading label where food safety is concerned. Sustainability is central to K Fresh, which pays particular care to limiting its carbon footprint and ensuring peerless production conditions. It pioneered the Enriched Colony Cage system, providing birds with a social, disease-free and enhanced-climate environment, running on a natural day/night cycle. As part of a plan to modernize its plant, K Fresh identified its pack coding operation as an area in which it could further improve environmental performance, operational efficiency and quality standards by replacing its thermal transfer coders. The principal challenge was to achieve the high quality codes demanded by the food industry, with increasing quantities of data to be coded on egg boxes on larger print areas.

The solution

To print its cardboard and plastic cases, K Fresh needed flexible, rapid and reliable equipment with minimal human intervention. They opted for Markem-Imaje's global proposal with the installation of six SmartLase C350 latest-generation coders which provide sought-after print quality while offering drastic cuts in consumables. Sufficiently robust to resist rigorous wash-downs, their extended life is perfectly in line with K Fresh's sustainable approach. Touch screens on the coders make for easy use and limit operator errors. Last but not least, K Fresh could renew its coders without the need for outright capital expenditure.

The result

Operating and maintenance costs were able to be cut quickly, minimizing downtime. With no requirement for compressed air, energy costs have been reduced and carbon footprint limited, impacting sustainability performance. The upgrading has proved beneficial both in terms of driving corporate growth and enabling the business to compete on a level playing field. Throughout the purchasing, installation and operational process, Markem-Imaje proved to be a truly proactive partner.

SmartLase C350 HD: Think big!

Perfectly suited for food industry printing, the new SmartLase C350 HD coder offers the largest print area on the market. Quick and ideal for printing on yoghurt lids or stick packs, it is ideal for all types of substrates. Finding out about all its benefits is just a few clicks away!

Optimized coding

Coding quality is close to pre-printing with patented SmartLase Code Technology. Contrast, lines, curves and dots are of excellent quality, even in stringent operating conditions (up to 45°C) without any risk of piercing.

Text can be located anywhere on the products and in any orientation. This makes last-minute customization operations easier (flavors, promotions, etc.) and reduces pre-printed film stocks.

GS1-128: Tracking and tracing down the supply chain

Increasingly, major retail and foodservice outlets are pressing suppliers to use the GS1-128 international coding standard to automate depot management. Via its 5800 inkjet solution in particular, Markem-Imaje is providing industrialists with the means to adapt to these new requirements.

Although no law requires the GS1-128 standard to be respected, distributors highly recommend its implementation, particularly for ultra-fresh food products. It helps automate management of depots and flow of goods, as well as guarantee traceability for each product, monitoring which is now essential in the wake of recent health scandals that required the immediate recall of products in question. Automation has gradually taken off in the UK, is growing in France with the explosion of drive-throughs and should become generalized in the US in 2015.

An exclusive solution

GS1-128 helps identify supply chain units in standardized fashion (pallets, packs, wrapping films) based on stringent specifications. The GS1-128 barcode must be applied with precision on the packaging and above all have grade C readability or better, for which good contrast is needed. These are stringent technical challenges which suppliers of coding solutions have to be able to meet, while at the same time helping producers reduce investment costs.

For packs, the 5800 inkjet solution is ideally suited to meet specifications, while also offering other advantages. It directly prints grade B barcodes on white backgrounds, whether porous or glossy. No labels are required with the 5800 solution, reducing costs and impacts on productivity: no rolls to change, no stock management... A Markem-Imaje global exclusive, Touch Dry® inks are solvent-free and instantly dry. They never bleed or fade, are environmentally-friendly and easy-to-reload in the coder without halting production. Last but not least, coder cutting-edge design ensures rapid start-ups.

There is also a second solution, in particular for film-wrapped packs of preserves or jams and brown-colored cases: printing and applying labels with a 2200 system that can print up to 125 packs/min and 120 pallets/hr. Various applicators are proposed to meet different needs, including the brand new High Speed Flex, featuring innovative technology which makes it possible to apply a label at high speed on the front of a pack without swiveling.